Never Is a Long Time

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:29–32

Addi stormed into the house. “Eden makes me so mad! She borrowed my sweatshirt without asking and got a big stain on it. She’s always doing stuff like that, and I’ve had it! I told her I’m never speaking to her again!”

Mom frowned. “I can understand why you’re upset, but never is a very long time.”

“I don’t care how long it is,” Addi snapped. “It’s not long enough.”

“Jesus wants you to forgive,” Mom gently reminded her, but Addi turned and ran down the hall to her room.

Later that afternoon, Addi and her mother went to visit Mom’s aunt at the nursing home. When they reached Aunt Meg’s room, Addi’s mind was still churning with angry thoughts about Eden.

“What’s the matter, Aunt Meg?” Mom’s startled cry brought Addi back to reality. Mom knelt beside the elderly woman’s wheelchair.

Tears streamed down Aunt Meg’s cheeks. “Oh, Tess,” she sobbed. “It’s too late!”

“Too late for what?” asked Mom.

“To say I’m sorry.” Aunt Meg’s voice quavered. “Sarah and I haven’t spoken to each other for twenty years, and now she’s gone.”

In the car on the way home, Addi turned to her mother. “So Sarah was Aunt Meg’s best friend for most of her life, but they had a falling out and hadn’t spoken to each other for twenty years?”

Mom nodded sadly. “And today she found out Sarah has died. It’s so sad. Aunt Meg can’t even remember what they fought about. Each was too proud and stubborn to say they were sorry, so the wall between them grew and grew.” She looked at her daughter. “One day Aunt Meg told Sarah she would never speak to her again. Little did she realize what she was saying.”

Addi gulped. “Never is a long time, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” said Mom. “That’s why we need to forgive others as Jesus has forgiven us. He could have let our sins wall us off from Him, but He broke down that wall by dying on the cross. Instead of letting walls grow between us, we need to break them down by forgiving one another.”

Addi nodded. “I’ll call Eden when I get home.”

How About You?

Has someone done something that made you upset? Do you need to forgive them? Don’t wait. Even if you have a good reason to be angry, don’t let a wall grow between you and that person. Jesus died so we could be forgiven for our sins, and He wants us to live in peace with others. Do what you can to make that happen.

Today’s Key Verse: Colossians 3:13 Forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Forgive others